Press Trust of India
New Delhi, Jan 4: Former IPL COO Sundar Raman was exonerated Monday by the Justice RM Lodha-led panel which held that none of the seven allegations against him in connection with the 2013 spot-fixing and betting scandal has been substantiated and that there was no cogent evidence to establish his role in any other wrongful activities.
The committee said on the basis of investigation and material before it, it does not seem that Raman’s omission in informing the IPL GC about the betting activities in 2013 was with ‘any ulterior or oblique motive or intended to cover or protect someone or was part of any corrupt activity’.
“However, having regard to the duties and responsibilities of Sundar Raman as COO, his omission to report to the IPL GC was a wrong decision and not expected of a person of his stature. We however, have no material to infer that the said decision was motivated,” Justice Lodha said.
After the report was made public, Raman chose not to comment on the panel’s recommendations except to say he appreciated the clean chit given to him.
“I have not yet read the report. So I would not want to comment on it. I have heard that I have been given a clean chit and I appreciate it but there is nothing more I want to add,” Raman, who resigned from his post in November, said.
On the allegation that there were 350 telephone contacts between Raman and actor Vindoo Dara Singh, the report said evidence revealed by the investigating team showed calls/SMS between them was on 15 occasions only and there were no telephone calls between them during IPL 2013.
“In the absence of any positive evidence to that effect, the allegations levelled against him fail,” the report of three-member committee also comprising justices RV Raveendran and Ashok Bhan said.
